Monday, May 16, 2016

New York hardcore band in the late '80s that gained notoriety with their
track "Am I Clear" on the legendary "NYHC: Where The Wild Things Are"
compilation (1989). In addition to the 2 tracks on this compilation,
Uppercut released a LP "Four Walls" on Blackout Records.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

There were 2 Punk bands called The Violators one
from England who recorded 2 great 7"s for No Future records in the early
80's and one from New Jersey who released the classic NY Ripper / My
Country 7" in 1980.Violators were a punk rock band formed in
Chapel-en-le-Frith, England in 1979 by vocalist Shaun 'Cess' Stiles and
bassist John 'Matchi' Marchington (both formerly of The Dismal Sports).
The band's line-up later added Helen Hill on vocals, Mark Coley on
guitar, and Anthony 'Ajax' Hall on drums, as they were soon signed to
Worcestershire label, No Future. The band managed to create a
fist-full of punk classics in their short career. Their first releases
"Die with Dignity" and "Government Stinks" introduced their unique brand
of punk to Britain's excluded youth. April 17, 1982, saw the
release of their first 7" single, "Gangland" – a six minute long punk
anthem – made Violators stand out for challenging the conventional face
of punk. It's pounding drum and bass rhythms, uncompromising powerchord
guitar riff, and Cess' dark subterranean vocals caught the mainstream
music press unaware, yet a concensus agreed that the band had real
protential. Gary Bushell described their sound as "street-level Joy Division",
and it don't get much better than that, does it? At the heart of the
single's b-side, "The Fugitive", lies pycho killer lyrics and viciously
sung female vocals. With the release of the band's critically
acclaimed and hugely popular second 7" single on December 4, 1982,
"Summer of '81"/"Live Fast - Die Young", Violators looked set for great
things. Sadly, however, it turned out to be their last studio session
with the original line-up. Vocalist Helen and guitarist Coley left a few weeks later to form the short-lived Taboo, and went on to record a three-track studio demo (these tracks appear on the 2005 compilation album, The No Future Years).
Coley played bass on these tracks, leaving the guitar work to a
session musican, which seems, at best, puzzling, and, at worst, a real
missed opportunity. Coley's thundering guitar riffs during the No
Future years are testament to that! In 1983, the three remaining
Violators – Shaun, Matchi (bass) and Ajax (drums) – together with new
female vocalist Louise 'Lou' King, and new guitarist Andrew Hill
(formerly of Skin Graft),
released the band's third 7" single, "Life on the Red Line"/"Crassings
of Sangara". When heard today, the two songs have the sound and feel of
early Manchester indie music. More incredible, however, is that the
single pre-dates that period by many years. It was the last stand for Violators, though, as Shaun, Matchi and Lou went on to form Ice the Falling Rain, who released one further single, "Life illusion", for the No Future off-shoot label, Future, before also disbanding.To
this day, Violators and their story – one of massive potential and
missed opportunity – is regarded as an emigma within the history of punk
music. The nature and timing of Helen and Coley's departure was at a
time when the band had finally begun to understand each other as
musicians and were about to get into their creative stride as the band's
popularity was spreading fast to every corner of Britain's punk
community.While they've given us some fine punk classics, you
can't help but wonder of the legacy this great band may have left behind
if they'd only got their shit sorted out!